I would assume there would be some kind of spiritual place at ground zero for all faiths but I must be wrong. I have to agree it's not technically at ground zero and it's more of a community center, right? I just don't get the issue. I am sure some Muslims other then the terrorist died in the event?

The concept of "Ground Zero" seems to be the issue for some. There are those that say it is only where the buildings stood (or fell). I am of this opinion myself. Others feel it is the area covered by greater or lesser amounts of debris. This is why the center is a controversy since the building is within the "zone of debris". Others feel it is every where the "body parts" (of any size) fell. Of course this last one would have to include parts of New Jersey...where some of the ash fell...

The concept of "Ground Zero" seems to be the issue for some. There are those that say it is only where the buildings stood (or fell). I am of this opinion myself. Others feel it is the area covered by greater or lesser amounts of debris. This is why the center is a controversy since the building is within the "zone of debris". Others feel it is every where the "body parts" (of any size) fell. Of course this last one would have to include parts of New Jersey...where some of the ash fell...

I just learned that there is an actual mosque only 4 blocks away -- that would put it right within that "ground zero remains spread" penumbra -- I wonder if anyone in this protest would care enough to protest that also (or does it get grandfathered in?)

CFI fully supports the free exercise of religion; protecting the rights of believers and nonbelievers is central to CFI’s mission. Accordingly, CFI endorses President Obama’s recent statement reminding the country that Muslim Americans enjoy the same rights as other Americans and should not be treated as second-class citizens. There should be no legal impediment to the placement of an Islamic community center near Ground Zero, just as there should be no legal impediment to the placement of a church, temple, or synagogue near Ground Zero.

Further, CFI laments the effort by some to turn the proposed Islamic center into a political issue. Government officials and candidates for office should not intervene in disputes over the alleged offensiveness of a place of worship. Such conduct violates the spirit, if not the letter, of the Establishment Clause. Government officials should not be deciding who is a “moderate” Muslim any more than they should be deciding who is a “moderate” Christian or Jew.

A number of private individuals have protested the proposed Islamic center. The tone and substance of these protests covers a wide range. Some protesting the Islamic center have raised legitimate questions, but to the extent the objections to the Islamic center mistakenly equate all Muslims with Muslim extremists, CFI condemns them.

CFI maintains that an Islamic center, including a mosque, near Ground Zero, in and of itself, is no different than a church, temple, or synagogue. It is undeniable that the 9/11 terrorists were inspired by their understanding of Islam, and that currently there are far more Islamic terrorists in the world than terrorists of other faiths, but those facts are not relevant to the location of the Islamic center, absent evidence that terrorists are involved in this endeavor, and there is no such evidence.

CFI’s unequivocal support for the legal right of Muslims to place a community center near Ground Zero does not imply that CFI views the new center as an event to be celebrated. To the contrary, CFI is committed to the position that reason and science, not faith, are needed to address and resolve humanity’s problems. All religions share a fundamental flaw: they reflect a mistaken understanding of reality. On balance, CFI does not consider houses of worship to be beneficial to humanity, whether they are built at Ground Zero or elsewhere.

_________________Chloride and Sodium: Two terribly dangerous substances that taste great together!

It's stupid. We don't discriminate against religions in this country. Period. As dumb as they are, and even though religion tends to feed violence, not diminish it, we don't have the right to tell someone not to worship their dopey god wherever they are allowed to assemble or habitate.

_________________If you make a similar post I will suspend you myself, if no-one gets there first, while we consider what to do. Got to get back to cooking now. - David B